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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

No More 365

.I. "Do what will save your life"

I was talking to Bink today and she said she likes my daily photos (like the one to the left), but she misses my writing. I do too. I know people who could do both--daily self-portraits and writing. They're the people who can do thirty things every day, come home and grill a steak, and then go out to play late-night laser tag (cheaper after 10 p.m.). I am not one of these people. I can do maybe five things, and I use one of them up right away every morning making coffee.

As ever, I am not able to fulfill Midwestern Commandment No. 1: Thou shalt work hard and not use safety pins on your clothes instead of sewing buttons back on except in emergencies. I feel bad about this because I grew up with this commandment in the drinking water along with flouride.But there it is.

Neither am I good at doing a little of this and a little of that, like a nice, moderate Midwesterner should be. No, whatever I'm into, I pretty much focus full fangirl energy on it.So, given that I cannot juggle a blog, a Flickr account, e-mail, Facebook, livejournal, youTube, Netflix, iTunes, iPhoto, and water my plants, I have to think what I can do here.

Well, when in doubt, "Do what will save your life," I always say [editor's note: as of today]. And the pictures I've been taking for the 365 project are fine; but my photography would never save my life or anyone else's. But writing... well, not often, no, not often at all but once in a while I write a sentence that I'd hang my existence on.

So, for once I am able to follow a Midwestern Commandment. It's not in the Top Ten, but it is on the list:Don't plant your tomatoes in the shade.That is, don't waste your time on efforts that won't pay off. (Socrates said something along those lines, that what you love is the best indicator of what you are likely to be good at; though in the Midwest saying you love doing something makes it highly suspect. But anyway, they both agree that you want to invest your energy wisely.)

Taking photos that are as good as those of a talented high-schooler who could grow up and shoot images for church bulletin covers (my candle above) doesn't feel worthwhile. More to the point, I don't love it. Rambling around in words, even when I produce utter drivel, I do love, and if my life ever needs saving it'd come from that direction.So, I'm going to drop the 365 project.

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Quote of the Moment

“We are not angels, we are merely sophisticated apes. Yet we feel like angels trapped inside the bodies of beasts, craving transcendence and all the time trying to spread our wings and fly off, and it’s really a very odd predicament to be in, if you think about it.”